Connecting-rod.



F. R. WHITE.

CONNECTING ROD.

APPLlCATlON man JUNE 26. 1915.

Patented Feb. 22, 1916.

o M M W Franklin E. Wkiife.

B y W A TTOR/VE Y8 NOGRAPH c .T TED STATES FFXCE.

FRANKLIN R. \VHITE, WATERBURY, CONNECTECUT, ASSIGNOR TQTEE PATENT BUTTONCOMPANY, OF NATERBUBY, CGNNECTICUT, A CORPORATION 03 CON- NECTICUT.

CONNECTING-BOD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 22, 1916.

To all whom it may concern Be itlcnown that l, FRANKLIN 13. WHITE, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of lVaterbury, in thecounty of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have made and inventedcertain new ,and useful improve ments in Connecting-Rods, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relatesto connecting rods or pitmen of the kind or typecommonly designated as longitudinally yieldable pitmen, and whichinclude a spring or equivalent yieldabl element through which force istransmitted when the rod is in use, to the end that the rod may yield incase excessive resistance is encountered by the device or element towhich motion is communicated or in case for, any reason the forcetransmitted through or along the rod becomes exccssive.

My improved connecting rod is designed with especial reference to use inbutton attaching machines to adapt the same for use with fabrics'ofdifferent thicknesses or fabrics made up of two or more thicknesses ofmaterial. In such machines the button while being attached is pressedfirmly or in ury to the button has to be avoided,

Btth these ends are secured in the use of my improved conn cting rod,for the length thereof is made such that when the machine operating upona fabric of the normal or average thickness the button will be pressedagainst the fabric with a given predetermined force, while if a thickerfabric is used, or one comprising two or more thicknesses of aterial,the rod will yield before the plunger is pressed against the button withsutlicient force to crush or injure it. It will be understood, however,that a connecting rod made in accordance with my invention is capable ofgeneral use, and is not limited to the use above suggested; and thatwhile the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this applicationillustrates the preferred embodiment of ,my invention the same may bevariously modified and embodied in other specific forms by those skilledin the art to which my invention relates.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a view showing my improved connecting rod inside elevation; and Fig. is a view showing a section of the same takenupon acentral longitudinally extending plane indicated by the line 22,Fig. 1, the parts being shown on a larger scale than in Fig. 1. V

in the drawing, the reference numeral 3 designates a suitable cagehaving sine bars a and arms 5 at its upper end through which one end. ofthe connecting rod may be connected with an operating member or a memberto be operated. The cage in question is designed to contain a coilspring 6 through which force is transmitted when the rod is in use; andthe same is provided. with a guide 7 at its upper end and formedintegrally with the body of the cage whereby its position is fixedrelative to the case, and with a removable guide 8 located at its lowerend and in threaded engagement with the cage. The upper end of thespring abuts against the guide 7 as shown.

The reference numeral 9v designates a rod having, an eye 10 the otherend of the c nnecting rod may be connected with an element of a machineto or from which motion is to be communicated, and which rod extendsthrough the removable guide 8 and is provided with an extension 11 ofreduced cross-section which extends through the c il spring and cageaforesaid and into the fixed guide 7, whereby the rod is guided as imoves l n itudinally of the cage when suiiicient resistance is encuntered to c mpress and shorten the spring 6. It'will be unde stood.howerer, that the spring acts n rmallv as a t ansmitting member of fixedlength. and that the force of the spring is o ercome and the rod movedindep ndent of the cage only in case excessive resi ance is enc unteredby the element to which motion is communicated throu h or by means ofthe rod or pitman con idered as a whole.

The rod 9 is provided with a threaded shoulderlZ at the lower end of thereducedextension 11 which sh ulder carries an internally threaded collar13 which abuts against the upper or inner end of the removable guide 8.and which collar is firmly supported. upon the rod by engagement withthethreads and by the ledge 1% at the. lower end of the thread. The upperend 15 of the shoulder 12 preferably terminates in the same plane as theupper end of the collar at its lower end whereby 13, so that the lowerend of the spring rests upon both the upper end of the collar and theend of the shoulder.

It will be appreciated that the thrust transmitted through the rod istaken up by the collar 13, and that a strong connection has to beprovided between the rod 9 and the collar in order that the collar maynot become loose on the rod, or possibly broken when the device is inuse. In my improved connecting rod the collar is supported by both thethreads upon the shoulder 12 and the led e 1% at the lower end thereof;and, in addition, in case the upper end of the shoulder bears directlyagainst the lower end of the spring, as in the form of my inventionillustrated, the thrust trans mitted through the connecting rodconsidered as a Whole is distributed between the collar and the shoulder12, which shoulder, as will be understood, is formed integrally with therod 9; whereby excessive strength is provided for the elements throughwhich force is transmitted from the rod 9 to the spring and cage.

Having thus described and explained my invention. 1 claim and desire tosecure by Letters Patent:

1. in a device of the class described, an eitngated cage adapted tocontain a spring, a fixed guide at one end of said cage, a removableguide located at the opposite end of said cage; a rod extending throughsaid removable guide and having a shoulder, and an extension of reduceddiameter, which extension extends through said cage and into said fixedguide; a collar located upon said shoulder and abutting against theinner end of said removable guide; and a coil spring located Within saidcage and surrounding the reduced extension of said rod, one end of saidspring bearing against said fixed guide and the other against saiocollar and the inner end of said shoulder.

2. An apparatus of the class described comprising a cage adapted tocontain a spring, guides at opposite ends of said cage forming spacedconfronting shoulders, a rod extending through and shdably engaging; theside Walls of one of said guides, said rod being provided with ashoulder and an extension projecting from said shoulder coaxially withsaid rod, said extension being of reduced diameter and slidably engagingin the otherof said guides, a collar located upon said shoulder andabutting against the inner end of one of said guides. and a coil springlocated Within said cage surrounding the reduced ex ension of said rod,one end of said spring bearing against sait collar and. rod shoulder,and the op aosite end bearing against one of said guides.

Signed at Waterbury, in the county of New Haven and State ofConnecticut, this 8 day of June, AfD. 1915.

FRANKLIN R. WHITE.

Witnesses:

JULIA A. Caesar, KATHARINE A. RUBEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, IDn C.

